A dangerous lexicon: Academic complicity in silencing social justice—The institutional policing of language and the threat to academic freedom

Abstract

As political pressures mount on public education, many universities have become complicit—intentionally or not—in suppressing justice-oriented discourse, even as some institutions attempt to resist these constraints. This paper analyzes an internal memo from a U.S. institution advising scholars to avoid terms like equity, transgender, anti-racism, and climate crisis in grant proposals. Though framed as pragmatic, such guidance functions as censorship by proxy, encouraging scholars to self-censor to remain fundable. Drawing on recent scholarship, the paper connects language policing to broader systems of academic erasure, racial capitalism, and epistemic exclusion. It argues that linguistic sanitization disproportionately harms scholars from marginalized communities and disciplines engaged in justice-based research—including academic nursing. By framing inclusive inquiry as ideologically risky, institutions reinforce political conformity under the guise of neutrality. The consequences extend beyond funding, shaping who is heard, what knowledge is legitimized, and how equity is pursued. The paper calls on educational leaders to reject silence and defend the right to name and challenge injustice.